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Clarence Hotel disaster
The 'Clarence Hotel disaster '''was an plane crash and hotel collapse which occurred on 7 October 2011, when a private Cessna 182 ''Skylane ''crashed into the Clarence Hotel in Durley Chine, Leeds, close to Durley Chine beach; the sole pilot and sole passenger were killed as well as over 50 occupants of the hotel. The investigation is still ongoing, and the cause of the crash has not yet been formally determined. An interim report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the same day as the crash revealed that a large microburst caused the small private aircraft to rapidly lose altitude, and crash into the 23rd floor of the hotel. It further revealed that Hurricane Ophelia was probably a huge factor in the crash. The crash was part of ''Black Friday. Aircraft The aircraft involved in the accident was a Cessna 182T Skylane, with manufacturer serial number 6667, registered as N6667Y. This aircraft first flew on 22 January 2002. The aircraft was powered by one Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 3-Bladed Constant Speed engine, which had a power of 230 horsepower. This gave it a cruise speed range of around 269 km/h (145 KTAS, 167 mph), at 18,100 ft (5.5 km altitude) and a range of 1,722 km (930 nmi). At the time of the accident it has accumulated around 1,000 flying hours. The aircraft was owned privately by businessman Phil Brookes throughout it's service career. Flight history At 0605 on 7 October 2011, Phil Brookes and his pilot departed Apperknowle Airport, a tiny grass-runway airport in Apperknowle, south of Charnock, in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It was the aircraft's first flight for 9 weeks, as it had been taken out of service for tyre repairs after a minor landing incident in August 2011. Following a slight delay due to windy weather caused by the outflow of Hurricane Ophelia, the plane took off from Apperknowle at 0612. The aircraft rose to 5,000 feet, where it would stay for a few hours. No problems were reported in flight, as the plane flew as per normal west from Apperknowle, over Manchester and Liverpool, before turning south-west over the Irish Sea towards Animal Crossing Island. Due to turbulence from Hurricane Ophelia, the pilot decided to fly past Animal Crossing Island by around 50 miles, and then turn round and approach it from the south. It did this with no problems, and soon the south coast of Animal Crossing Island was visible and it started descending. Timeline of crash At 0841, the plane reported severe turbulence as it dropped to 1,000 feet to fly over Leeds from south to north, and into Leeds International. At 0843, it was struck by a microburst and violently descended to 100 feet from the ocean surface. At 0844 it was struck by another microburst, just after it flew inland. The pilot declared a mayday, before slamming into the 23rd floor of the Clarence Hotel at 0845 in the morning. Aftermath after being struck by the collapsing Clarence Hotel.]] The plane exploded when it hit the building and caused a huge hole in the south side of the building. Fire immediately broke out in the top 8 floors of the Clarence Hotel, and dust and burning debris crashed down to Durley Chine Promenade below, injuring tourists. Some people said that it looked like 9/11, with the top floors of a tall building ablaze and huge amounts of choking dust and debris on the ground below. The time of day was similar, too. However the NTSB immediately ruled out terrorism as a cause. Due to stairwells inside being crushed, the lifts failing, and fires, everyone in floors 18-25 were trapped, while most people below could evacuate with minor injuries. A helicopter attemped to rescue those above the 18th floor, but could not due to high winds. Many people jumped to their deaths. At 0955, the Clarence Hotel collapsed, sending choking dust radiating out to everywhere on Leeds Island. A huge section of exterior cladding crashed into the neighbouring Premier Inn Durley Chine hotel, forcing it's evacuation; luckily, despite heavy damage, it did not collapse or catch fire, and no one inside it was hurt. Several windows throughout the building were smashed by much smaller debris. Some damage was also caused to the Lawrence Hotel on the other side of it, but it is not major and is repairable. On 14 November 2011 Premier Inn Durley Chine re-opened after repairs. By this point, the wreckage of the Clarence Hotel has been cleared and all damage repaired, however, the site of the old hotel remains empty awaiting final plans for development to be accepted. Investigation and cause The cause is currently formally unknown, but a microburst is likely. Victims Of the fatalities, 2 were English (plane occupants), 3 were from Leeds, 52 were from Home, 6 were from Porttown, 5 were German, and 4 were Italian, giving a total of 75 deaths. Of these, 2 were in the plane, 70 were in floors 18-25 of the hotel, and 3 were on the ground due to falling debris/dust inhalation. Notable victims Phil Brookes, a fairly successful multi-millionaire businessman from the UK and head of several medium-sized IT companies, was killed in the crash. He was a passenger in the plane. Other incidents The aircraft, pilot, and passenger involved in this crash were also involved in a minor landing incident at Apperknowle Airport on 5 August 2011, when a tyre burst on touchdown. No one was hurt. The aircraft was subsequently out of service for 9 weeks for repairs, and the doomed crash flight was it's first since the Apperknowle incident. However, defected tyres were found not to be a cause of this accident. See also *Leeds Airways Flight 003 *Black Friday *Focus Tower fire